Steven Barkhimer and Mara Sidmore in Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s production of “Richard III,” at Swedenborg Chapel through March 11.

February 16, 2018

MUSIC

Pop & Rock

AWOLNATION Songwriter-producer Aaron Bruno’s band is probably best known for 2011’s “Sail,” a high-drama slice of electropop that spent a near-record 79 weeks bobbing around the Hot 100 earlier this decade. But its new album, “Here Come the Runts,” proves that Bruno’s adding ever more glitter to his dense, dark rock these days, with songs like the anxious “Miracle Man” and the swaggering “Passion” blending high-octane hooks with runaway-train guitars. Feb. 20, 7 p.m. $31.25 and up. House of Blues. 888-693-2583, www.houseofblues.com/boston

Folk & World

SHELBY LYNNE Lynne isn’t touring behind a new record (her most recent, last year’s “Not Dark Yet,” is a duo record with sister Allison Moorer), so perhaps a survey of the multifaceted country-soul she’s been making since her 2000 fountainhead release, “I Am Shelby Lynne,” is on tap for Saturday. Feb. 23, 8 p.m. $55. The Center for Arts, Natick. 508-647-0097, www.natickarts.org

JON DEE GRAHAM/BEN DE La COUR A Sunday night twofer: Jon Dee Graham has been a part of the Austin, Texas, music scene seemingly since its creation, playing a raw brand of roots rock with others and on his own; Ben de la Cour has been more peripatetic, most recently landing in Nashville, where he practices something he gives the clever label “Americanoir.” Feb. 18, 9 p.m. $12. Atwood’s Tavern, Cambridge. 800-838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.com

JEFF CONLEY When life hands you lemons, make lemonade (or guitars): When Jeff Conley had two vintage guitars stolen after a show, he couldn’t afford to replace them. So he built a new one with what he had at hand instead, and he has since turned what started as necessity into a pursuit. Feb. 20, 7:30 p.m. No cover. Toad, Cambridge. 617-497-4950, www.toadcambridge.com

Classical

ORCHESTRAL MUSIC Herbert Blomstedt returns to the BSO podium with an all-Mozart program devoted to the Symphonies No. 34, 36, and 41, “Jupiter” (Feb 22-24, with Moritz Gnann picking up the baton on Feb. 27); and Benjamin Zander leads the Boston Philharmonic at Jordan Hall and Sanders Theatre in works by Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky alongside Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Georgian pianist Alexander Korsantia (Feb. 22-25). www.bso.org, www.bostonphil.org

CHAMBER MUSIC This week’s chamber offerings span six centuries, with the fearless Jack Quartet playing contemporary works by Liza Lim, Brian Ferneyhough, Marcos Balter, and Elliott Carter at Boston University’s CFA Concert Hall (Feb. 20); a starry triumvirate of pianist Emanuel Ax, violinist Leonidas Kavakos, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma tucking into three Brahms Trios in Symphony Hall (Feb. 21); and the virtuosic Flanders Recorder Quartet on a farewell tour stopping by First Church in Cambridge with works by Dowland, Sweelinck, Parsons, and others (Feb. 23). www.bu.edu/cfa, www.celebrityseries.org, www.bemf.org

METAMORPHOSES Conductor Ryan Turner leads the Orchestra and Chorus of Emmanuel Music along with the Harvard Glee Club and Urbanity Dance in a keenly anticipated myth-centric evening devoted to works by John Harbison (Symphony No. 5), Matthew Aucoin (“The Orphic Moment”), and Stravinsky (“Oedipus Rex”). Feb. 23, 8 p.m., Sanders Theatre. 617-536-3356, www.emmanuelmusic.org

JEREMY EICHLER

ARTS

Theater

RICHARD III Playing the title role, the ever-intrepid Steven Barkhimer embraces the all-encompassing theatricality of Shakespeare’s scheming, bloody-minded monarch. Aiming to beguile and deceive, Richard delivers what is in effect a nonstop performance while methodically eradicating anyone who stands between him and his goals. Directed by Robert Walsh. (Pictured: Barkhimer with Mara Sidmore .) Through March 11. Actors’ Shakespeare Project. At Swedenborg Chapel, Cambridge. 866-811-4111, www.actorsshakespeareproject.org

BAD DATES As Haley Walker, a restaurant manager and divorced mother who dives into the choppy waters of the dating world and encounters one Mr. Wrong after another, Haneefah Wood delivers a performance of confidence, inventiveness, and inexhaustible brio. Theresa Rebeck’s solo comedy is directed by Jessica Stone. Extended through March 3. Presented by Huntington Theatre Company. At Huntington Avenue Theatre. 617-266-0800, www.huntingtontheatre.org

WAITRESS The musical tale of a diner waitress and superlative pie-maker, seeking a way out of her abusive marriage, who enters a baking contest while considering the possibilities for romance with her small town’s new doctor. The all-female creative team includes Sara Bareilles (music and lyrics), Jessie Nelson (book), Lorin Latarro (choreography), and Diane Paulus (direction). Feb. 20-March 4. Broadway In Boston. At Boston Opera House. 800-982-2787, www.broadwayinboston.com

HYPE MAN: A BREAK BEAT PLAY In this probing, electric drama by Idris Goodwin, the bond between performers in a hip-hop trio starts to fracture after a police shooting of an unarmed black teenager. Shawn LaCount directs an outstanding world-premiere production that stars Kadahj Bennett, Michael Knowlton, and Rachel Cognata. Through Feb. 24. Company One Theatre. At Plaza Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.companyone.org

SASSO & COMPANY Lacey Sasso’s contemporary dance troupe presents “Deeply Rooted,” two different evenings of repertory favorites as well as world premiere works by area dance-makers exploring the nature of attachments. Feb. 23-24, $18-$20. Dance Complex, Cambridge. 617-547-9363, www.dancecomplex.org

WINTERWORKS This showcase by Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s Dance Division features original student works as well as three pieces by guest choreographers Chien-Ying Wang, Adrienne Hawkins, and Junichi Fukuda, winner of this academic year’s Alumni Commissioning award. Feb. 22-25, $15-$30. Boston Conservatory Theater. 617-912-9222, www.bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/events

KAREN CAMPBELL

Galleries

CULTURE HUSTLERS: ARTISTS MINDING THEIR BUSINESS
Curator Lucas Spivey roams the country in a 1957 Shasta camper, offering artists business advice. Here he spotlights business models that pursue global ambitions with the immediacy of handcrafted art. Through April 8. Mills Gallery, Boston Center for the Arts, 551 Tremont St. 617-426-5000, www.bcaonline.org

STITCH: SYNTAX/ACTION/REACTION
This group show considers the social history of textiles and the meanings we weave into them, parsing the cultural grammar of material and technique. Performances and demonstrations throughout seek to unravel old paradigms. Through March 24.New Art Center, 61 Washington Park, Newtonville. 617-964-3424, www.newartcenter.org

WILLIAM KENTRIDGE: TRIUMPHS AND LAMENTS The great South African artist brings a new iteration of his recent 550-meter-long public art project along Rome’s Tiber River to Boston. Prints of his Roman frieze depict the parade of Italian history. Through April 14. Emerson Urban Arts: Media Art Gallery, 25 Avery St. 617-824-8667, www.emerson.edu/urban-arts/media-art-gallery

CATE McQUAID

Museums

ART IN THE AGE OF THE INTERNET, 1989 TO TODAY
The Internet has altered our perceptions of self and community. This show examines three decades of evolving Internet art addressing what it means to be human in a digitally networked world. Through May 20. Institute of Contemporary Art, 25 Harbor Shore Drive. 617-478-3100, www.icaboston.org

GOREY’S WORLDS
Gothic illustrator Edward Gorey died in 2000. He left part of his art collection to the Wadsworth Atheneum, including works on paper by Édouard Manet, Eugène Atget, and Albert York, which are exhibited here alongside his own art. Through May 6. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 600 Main St., Hartford. 860-278-2670, www.thewadsworth.org

THE SCULPTURE OF AUGUSTUS SAINT-GAUDENS
The artist helped shape the narrative of American history with works such as Boston Common’s Robert Gould Shaw Memorial. This show spotlights large-scale pieces, including “Diana,” and “Abraham Lincoln: The Man.”
Through May 20. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester, N.H. 603-669-6144, www.currier.org

Family

TET IN BOSTON 2018 DAY FESTIVAL Did you conk out early on New Year’s Eve and miss the ball drop? Never fear, because you have the chance to ring in the Vietnamese Lunar New Year with festivities, food, and fun, all while supporting youth cultural and educational programs. Feb. 18, 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Free. Boston College High School, 150 William T. Morrissey Boulevard, Boston. www.eventbrite.com

PRESIDENTS’ DAY SOCCER CLINIC We know, parents: A day off for your kids definitely doesn’t guarantee a day off for you. If you need a way to keep your little ones active and happy this Presidents’ Day, All Star Soccer Stars is hosting a clinic all morning for future pros ages 3-5. Feb. 19, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $60. St. John’s Church, 27 Devens St., Charlestown. supersoccerstars.com

UNTOLD AMERICAN STORIES: FEBRUARY VACATION WEEK It might be vacation week in school, but that’s no reason to stop your kids from learning about history, culture, and pretty cool people. In honor of Black History Month, the Mary Baker Eddy Library will be shining a spotlight on some underrated figures from African-American history, from ballerina Janet Collins to inventor Garrett Morgan. Feb. 20-23, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Free for ages 17 and under. The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Massachusetts Ave., Boston. www.marybakereddylibrary.org